Mass Timber Branches Out Across Texas As Developers Look To Save Time, Fill Buildings Mass timber has historically been shunned as too expensive and too risky. But commercial projects in Texas are beginning to come out of the ground like trees as exposure to the product and its benefits reach more developers. Across the state, there are 84 mass timber projects in design and another 50 that are either under construction or already built, according to industry group Wood Works. The material, once subject to a host of misgivings, is now being applied to a variety of asset types, including office, residential, industrial, higher education and athletic facilities. “Mass timber has so many benefits that go beyond what we first thought,” said Taylor Coleman, a project architect at Gensler in Dallas who heads the firm’s mass timber efforts. “I don’t think it’s a fad. I honestly think we’re just starting to see its true capabilities and nature.” 
Developers are drawn to mass timber for many reasons. The obvious is its inherent sustainability, which helps investors and other stakeholders meet their environmental, social and governance requirements. But in an era of high inflation and historically low unemployment, the method’s relatively fast construction timeline and embedded recruitment advantages are perhaps…  Read the full story here. | | |
